Starting a new digital photo project is a grand adventure, no matter how big or small it is. Your digital picture resolution should reflect your memories in high-quality in any medium, and each scan project may require different resolutions than the next. With the integrity of your project at stake, it’s important for you to researchthe best resolution for scanning photosthat suits your needs best. We have the advice you need to hear to help you make the best decision.
What Is Image DPI?
Before we dive into the different projects and their recommended resolutions, it’s important that you understand a term commonly paired with photo resolution. Photo DPI, or “dots per inch,” measures the number of dots that make up a one-inch line of an image. High DPI means a higher quality image from a distance, as there are more dots to form the image than with low DPI. When you zoom in, you will see all the separate dots of color that form a face, blade of grass, or body of water.
For low DPI, the image may seem blurrier upon closer inspection but will still look good on social media. High DPI captures more dots, which means it can display more colors, which leads to more details, though it can result in large file sizes.
For computers and phones, you may also hear the term PPI for “pixels per inch.” Pixels are the technical term for those dots, but they only exist digitally. The two terms are essentially interchangeable. When using the metric system for measurements, you may see the acronym DPCM for “dots per centimeter.”
Best Resolutions for Different Projects
While your preferences may vary, there are popular choices for scanning resolutions based on the project you intend to complete. Archival projects should rely on high-quality scans rather than standard ones. Here are a few project examples:
Printed Photos
If you already have a physical photo but want to scan a copy of it for reprinting purposes, you will only need to scan it at a relatively standard 300 DPI. This will allow you to reprint the photo at the size of the original picture. If your goal is to print a larger picture you will want a higher resolution. If you have a 4x6 photo and digitize it at 600 dpi, you will be able to print an 8x10 picture at the same quality and without any loss of resolution. For social media sharing or display on websites, you want to keep the image at a low DPI and in a JPEG format. Many social media websites won’t take large TIFF files with high DPI.
Toconvert photos to digitalfor display on a high-definition TV or monitor, 600 DPI will allow image enlargement with little deterioration in quality.
Backing Up 35mm Slides and Negatives:
Since they are the source for many photos, you should scan 35mm slides and negatives at a high DPI. A standard scanning is 2500 DPI, while a high-quality resolution would be 4000 DPI, the maximum scanning resolution for 35mm film.
Medium Format
The lesser-used medium negative and photo formats are best scanned at 1500 DPI or 3000 DPI for high-quality.
Large Negatives and Transparencies
Digital scans of large negatives and transparencies at 600 DPI for standard quality and 1200 DPI for high-quality will get the job done.
When deciding onthe best resolution for scanning photos, remember that a high DPI only really matters when projects require extreme detail, such as with archival projects. AtDiJiFi, we will guide you to picking the best image DPI based on the project you want to complete. Our digital photo scanning service will provide you with high-quality scans for any project or website.
